15 August 2006

A free-verse poem, Walking Through Seasons

In English poetry, metrical feet are determined by whether a syllables are stressed or unstressed, whereas in Latin and Greek (the classical languages) poetry, feet are based on the length of syllables, i.e. long or short syllables.

I like poetry, but I don't think my rusted Latin is still employable and hence I would use English. Nevertheless, as English is not my first language, I don't deal with feet and metres very well, and therefore would prefer composing free verse.

The work below was written in May 2005 for a lady in a distant land.

Walking Through Seasons

If only I were a butterfly,
I could drift in the wind across
the Albion Straits, the Steppes and the Gobi, and
reach you in the Far East to
bring you the whisper of spring concealed by heathers in the Highlands.

If only I were a dove,
I could float on air currents, and
carry to you the olive twig from the Mediterranean on a summer day,
as the one that brought the message to Noah, to
tell you I've found the land, and you are the land.

If only I were a maple leaf,
I could be blown away over
the Continent, the Gulf and the Silk Road, and
meet you in the island of Formosa to
pass on to you the stir of autumn spreading throughout the land of Unicorn.

If only I were a whale,
I could brave the immense ocean, and
sing for you the ode of struggling life in my sonorous voice on a winter night,
as those who have echoed my sentiment through generations in Andalusia, to
let you know I've seen my reflection in you.

Then through seasons and years,
I will prove to you that
imperishable affection is reserved exclusively for you, and thereafter
walk away quietly with
a deep sense of contentment and bliss.

No comments: